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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOE 



WATER-SUPPLY 



AND 



lEEIGATION PAPEES 



OF THE 



UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



ISJ'o. 34 



GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF A PORTION OF 
SOUTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA.— Todd 



1 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1900 



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 



WATER-SUPPLY 



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IKEIGATION PAPEES 



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UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



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GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
1900 



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UNITED STATES (GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

CHARLES D. WALCOTT. DIRECTOR 



K- 



1^ 



■ii 



GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES 



OF A PORTION OF 



SOUTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA 



BT 



JAJvlES EI3\\^AR33 TODD 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1900 



CONTENTS. 



Page, 

Letter of transmittal 9 

Location of region 11 

General geology 11 

Algonkian , 12 

Sioux quartzite 12 

The Paleozoic gap 12 

Cretaceous 13 

Dakota sandstone 13 

Colorado formation 15 

Pierre shale u 17 

Tertiary deposits 17 

Pleistocene deposits 17 

Preglacial or circumglacial deposits 17 

Till or bowlder clay 18 

Moraines 21 

Ancient drainage systems 22 

Water supply 22 

Surface waters 22 

Lakes 22 

Springs 23 

Streams 24 

Underground waters 24 

Water from the older strata 26 

Main artesian supply 26 

Pressure 28 

Variation of pressure 28 

Hints on the construction of wells 30 

Permanence of artesian supply 30 

5 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Pa^e. 
Plate I. Index map of eastern South Dakota, showing area under consider: i- 

tion 1 1 

II. Prehminary map of a part of southeastern South Dakota, comprising 
portions of Hutchinson, Yankton, and Bonhomme counties, show- 
ing depths to artesian waters Pocket. 

III. Geological map of a portion of eastern South Dakota 12 

IV. Map of a portion of eastern South Dakota, showing depth to bed rock. 14 
V. Map of a portion of eastern South Dakota, showing depths to waters 

at base of the till 16 

VI. Logs of wells in Hutchinson County, South Dakota 18 

VII. Logs of wells in Hutchinson County and in northeastern portion of 

Bonhomme County, South Dakota 20 

VIII. Logs of wells in Yankton and Clay counties, South Dakota. . .'. . 22 

IX. A, Dakota sandstone on Firesteel Creek, in Township 104 North, 
Eange 61 West; B, Artesian spring. Township 104 North, Range 

60 West 24 

X. A, Sherrill Spring, on Lower Enemy Creek; B, Kilburn Run, fed by 

Kilburn well, north of Mount Vernon, South Dakota 26 

7 



i 



LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 



Department of the Interior, 
United States Geological Survey, 

Division of Hydrography, 
Washington^ February 15^ 1900. 
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a manuscript giving the 
results of investigations of underground waters of a portion of south- 
eastern South Dakota, prepared by Prof. James E. Todd, and to 
recommend that it be printed in the series of Water-Supply and 
Irrigation Papers. 

Very respectfully, F. H. Newell, 

Hydrographer in Charge. 
Hon. Charles D. Walcott, 

Director United States Geological Survey. 



U.S.GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER N9 34 PL. I 




INDEX m\P OF K\STEFW SOUIH llAIvOTA 

Showiig area under consideration 

BY J.E.TODD 1899. 

Scale 



JULIUS BrEN a CO. 



GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF A PORTION 
OF SOUTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. 



By James E. Todd. 



liOCATIO^ OF REGION. 

The area to which this paper relates is represented on the Olivet 
and Parker sheets of the Topographic Atlas of the United States, pub- 
lished by the United States Geological Survey/ It occupies large 
portions of Turner and Hutchinson counties, and small portions 
of Bonhomme, Yankton, and Clsij counties, South Dakota. It is 
especialty instructive from the fact that it includes typical areas of 
the valleys of James and Vermilion rivers, and Turkey Ridge, which 
forms a portion of the divide between the two streams. More- 
over, it exhibits characteristic features of two kinds of artesian sup- 
ply, viz, that from the Dakota sandstone, and that from the sands 
underlying the drift. It also exhibits plainly the typical conditions 
of most forms of shallow wells, as well as the tubular wells common 
to the eastern portion of South Dakota. The region for the greater 
part is prairie and rarely so rough as to be unfavorable for ordinary 
agriculture. It includes wider ranges of altitude than most areas of 
similar extent in the Mississippi Valley; in the immediate valleys of 
Vermilion River, Clay Creek, and James River the surface is not over 
1,180 feet above the sea, while in the northern culmination of Turkey 
Ridge it reaches 1,750 feet, and in the southwestern portion of the 
region it attains an altitude of 1,650 feet, which is considerably below 
the higher points of the Choteau Creek Hills a little farther west. 

GENERAI. GEOI.OGY. 

Nearly the whole surface of the area is covered with glacial drift. 
The exceptions^ are the alluvial fiats in the larger valleys, and scattered 
exposures of older rocks occurring mainly along the sides of the can- 
yons in tK*e southern part of Turkey Ridge and in the bottoms of the 

1 These sheets may be prociired at 5 cents each by addressing The Director, United States Geological 
Survey, Washington, D. C. 

11 



12 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF SOUTH DAKOTA. [no. 84. 

river channels. The strata lie nearly horizontal everywhere. No 
folds, faults, or igneous outflows have been discovered. Frequent 
borings have been made to a depth of 200 or 300 feet in obtaining 
wells, and a few have been sunk to 600 or 700 feet. These have fur- 
nished important facts concerning the position of strata below the 
surface. 

ALGONKIAN. 
SIOUX QUARTZITE. 

The oldest rock exposed in natural outcrops or by borings is the 
Sioux quartzite, a name given by Dr. C. A. White^ when State geolo- 
gist of Iowa. Exposures are found at a number of points along the 
East Fork of Vermilion River from the north line of Turner County 
to the vicinity of Parker, their location being indicated on PI. III. 
Borings some distance from these exposures have shown that this for- 
mation is ''bed rock," and the depth to its surface is indicated upon 
the map (PL IV). The rock is frequently called Sioux Falls "granite," 
from the extensive exposures and numerous quarries in the vicinit}^ of 
Sioux Falls. It is for the most part a red or purplish quartzite of 
intensely compact and durable character, and is susceptible of a fine 
polish. It lies in strata which dip generally to the north at an angle 
of 3° to 5°. In sec. 8, T. 100 N., R. 53 W., it is in layers which are 
generally not more than 6 inches in thickness. East of Parker it is 
more massive, and the layers are 2 or 3 feet in thickness. No trace of 
slate or pipestone has been found in any of these exposures. No fos- 
sils have been noted in the formation anywhere, except some small 
lingulse found by Prof. N. H. Winchell near Pipestone, Minnesota.^ 
This formation is generally referred to the Algonkian. Its thickness 
has not been determined. At Sioux Falls a boring 500 feet deep 
revealed no important difference in the character of the rock. 

THE PALEOZOIC GAP. 

In this region there are no traces of Paleozoic formations nor of the 
Triassic and Jurassic of Mesozoic time. The surface of the Sioux 
quartzite shows marks of long erosion at an elevation of several hun- 
dred feet above sea level. The nearest occurrence of Paleozoic rock 
that has been discovered is in the borings at Ponca, Nebraska, and 
Sioux City, Iowa. While the mountain masses of the Appalachian 
region and the extensive coal fields of the eastern part of the Missis- 
sippi Valley were forming this area was probably a barren mountain- 
ous region. It is possible that soils and vegetations which may have 
extended over it were removed by the advance of the sea during 
Cretaceous time. At any rate, no traces of soil are now found upon 

1 Sixteenth Ann. Kept. Geol. Nat. Hist. Survey Minnesota. 



U.S.GEOLOGICALSURVEY 




GEOLOGICAL M.\P OFA POI 



CRETACEOUS 



ALGONKIAN 



SIOUX OUARTZITF. DAltOTAFORMATlOX COLORADO FORMATION 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER N9 34 PL. Ill 




I'lON OF EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA 

E.TODD 1899 
Scale 

^ . 10 



JUUS BIEN 6 CO. LITH N ' 



-EGEN.D 



PLEISTOCENE 



lORAINES 
mbered in order 
)ccupation ) 



TILL ANCIENT CHANNELS ALLU\T:UIV[ 

( Numbered in order 
of,. 
occupation i 



TODD.] GENERAL GEOLOGY. 13 

the surface of the quartzite. Since several hundred feet of strata 
of marine origin, representing all the ages of Paleozoic time, are 
found in the Black Hills, the shore of the Paleozoic sea must have 
extended across South Dakota somewhere west of the present course 
of the Missouri River. Moreover, as the Triassic formations of the 
Black Hills testify to an inclosed sea, barren of life, we must believe 
that during that epoch this inland sea was detached from the ocean. 

CRETACEOUS. 

Resting upon the Sioux quartzite, as revealed by borings, there are 
sands, chalk, and clays belonging to the Cretaceous. We have no 
trace of the earlier beds which represent this age elsewhere, but sev- 
eral hundred feet of the later Cretaceous deposits underlie much of 
the area. 

DAKOTA SANDSTONE. 

Resting upon the quartzite, as shown by many borings, there is a 
series of sandstone and shale which Dr. F. V. Hay den, the first United 
States geologist who examined this region, named the Dakota forma- 
tion, from extensive outcrops near the town of Dakota, in Nebraska. 
This formation is only exposed in this area along James River and 
Twelvemile Creek above Mill town, and about the junction of Wolf 
Creek and James River. Its general distribution underground is, how- 
ever, well shown by the borings of the deeper artesian wells. From 
these data the formation is known to underlie the area, except in 
the region about Parker and northeastward. As the surface of the 
quartzite is uneven and the upper portion of the Dakota sandstone is 
more or less eroded, the margin is quite ragged and uneven. In the 
southern part of the area, the Dakota deposits probably have a thick- 
ness of 300 or 400 feet, but as deep borings in that region are few, and 
none are known to have penetrated to bed rock, this is only an esti- 
mate. From borings in this area and from exposures elsewhere, it is 
known that the formation is composed of sheets of sand or sandstone 
more or less completely separated by thick beds of clay and shale. 
The sandstone strata are usually of fine-grained, well- washed materials, 
and vary in thickness from 10 to 100 feet. The clay deposits are in 
general thick, and very often form a hard shale; locally they include 
compact limestone, plastic clay, and iron pyrites. The last is very 
hard and forms a serious obstacle in drilling. The number of sand 
strata which are water bearing increases toward the south, where the 
formation thickens. 

In eastern South Dakota the upper part of the sandstone is a stratum 
generally presenting harder layers often spoken of as ''cap rock." 
They are sometimes so hard as to give the impression that the red 



14 GEOLOGY AND WATEE EESOURCES OF SOUTH DAKOTA. [no. 34. 

quartzite has been struck, but in all cases, so far as known, the cement 
is calcareous or ferruginous rather than siliceous, as in the quartzite. 
Its calcareous character is revealed by use of an acid, which causes 
effervescence; the ferruginous cement is shown by its dark color. 

The Dakota sandstone underlies all the area except a small district 
near Parker. It is exposed extensively along the James River and 
Twelvemile Creek above Milltown, and also near the mouth of Wolf 
Creek. At the latter place it seems to be in a low arch or anticline 
lifted to a height of 25 or 30 feet above the level of the James River. 
The principal exposures are upon the west side of the river, in sec. 6, 
T. 98 N. , R. 57 W. The material here is a soft, irregularly stratified 
sandstone scarcely hard enough for building purposes. Exposures on 
the James River above Milltown begin about a mile above that point 
in the form of low barren slopes on both sides of the river, which 
gradually rise until south of Elmspring the upper portion of the for- 
mation is about 60 feet above the level of the James River. Here it 
exhibits a few castellated cliffs. About IJ miles south of Elmspring, 
upon the east side of the valley, the following section is exposd: 

Section 1\ miles south of Elmspring, South Dakota. 

Feet. 

Slope of till 50 

Soft brown sandstone, some pebbles above; irregularly stratified, springs below.. 35 
Slope mostly clay, evidently Dakota, to the level of the James River 20 

Farther south, about a mile above Milltown, the sandstone is more 
perfectly consolidated and shows much oblique lamination, and it has 
been quarried to some extent for building purposes. The sandstone 
appears on both sides of Twelvemile Creek, following the main stream 
for 3 or 4 miles. North of the northeast corner of sec. 34, T. 100 N.,"" 
R. 59 W. , it has been quarried considerably. The following section 
of a well near Elmspring exhibits this formation more completely: 

Section in tvell at Elmspring, South Dakota. 

Feet. 

(1) Yellow and blue clay (till) with water at 60 feet 83 

(2) Sandstone 8 

(3) Sand 20 

(4) Sandstone and clay, irregularly stratified 20 

(5) ' ' Blue clay ' ' (shale) , with one or two strata of sandstone - 116 

(6) Eed quartzite 70 

All except No. 1 and No. 6 belong to the Dakota formation. 

The formation thickens by the intercalation of other strata, both 
toward the west and south. Near the James River, at the southern 
portion of the area, wells indicate that the Dakota formation may be 
from 300 'to 400 feet in thickness. A characteristic view of the upper 
portion of the formation, as shown on the Firesteel northwest of 
Mitchell, is given on PL IX, A. 



U.S.GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 




Note: Figures denote depths of borings MAP O F A P ORTI iST OF E.j 

If without + sign quartzite was met with at that depth ShOWlll^ deiDtli 

All depth areas estimated averages "" ^^ ■ j 

The quartzite surface has many local irregularities ^ -^ J.-Ci.l', 

Scl 



J L 



\, 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER N" 34 PL. IV 




as TERN" SOUTH DAKOTA 

IS tolDed rock 

ODD 1899 

ale 



lU U U5 BIEN a CO. L!TH N. 



5O0'-eO0' 600'-700' 700-800' 800'- 900' 900'-1000' lOOO'-llOO 



li 



TODD.] 



GENEBAL GEOLOGY. 15 



COLORADO FORMATION. 



This includes two series of deposits, which were first separated by 
Dr. F. y. Hayden. The lower series, composed mostly of shale and 
clay, was named Benton, from its great development near Fort Benton, 
Montana, and the upper series, composed largely of chalkstone, was 
called Niobrara. These two subdivisions, though usually differing con- 
siderably in lithologic character, are often grouped together because 
of the similarity of the fossils which appear in them. Moreover, the 
line between them is not easily established, because in many places the 
chalk grades into the clay and shale; and even when fairly pure, 
enough protoxide of iron is present to give it a bluish tint resembling 
the shale. It has been found very difficult to separate them in this 
area by means of the reports of well-borers. One well-borer will say 
that within a given region he has struck no chalk, but has struck shale 
and clay. Another will distinguish between the chalk and the clay, 
recognizing the fact that the former differs from blue shale or ' ' soap- 
stone," while a third may speak of the chalk as a fine sand. Practi- 
cally, the distinction which is most obvious to the well-borer is that 
chalk does not become plastic by becoming wet, but acts more like fine 
sand. On the other hand, the shale, or " soapstone," as it is frequently 
called, becomes plastic and sticky, and not easily distinguished from 
the clay except by its hardness. 

The Colorado formation is exposed in this region only at a few locali- 
ties, which are indicated upon the map, viz: Along the South Fork of 
Twelvemile Creek; on Wolf Creek, about 6 miles above its mouth; 2 
or 3 miles south and east of the latter point, and still more promi- 
nently in the vicinity of Scotland. It also appears conspicuously 
along Turkey Creek between Irene and Yolin, and also along Clay 
Creek north of the latter place. From a study of the formations 
along the Missouri Kiver it is inferred that the Niobrara chalkstone is 
quite evenly stratified, compact, with some of its layers forming a hard 
limestone, but more frequently the clayey material is more promi- 
nent. From the exposures along the river it would seem that it has a 
thickness of 150 to 200 feet. Its original thickness was probably not 
uniform, but it was accumulated in large lenticular masses. 

At Scotland and near Milltown the stone has been quarried and used 
for building. When first taken out it is easily cut with a knife and 
shaped to any form desired. When thoroughly seasoned it resists the 
weather so that buildings formed of it have stood for twenty-five or 
thirty years. When exposed upon a slope it crumbles under the action 
of frost and becomes a white earthy mass. The protoxide of iron, 
which colors it blue or light gray when exposed to the weather, becomes 
a yellow oxide or a carbonate, so that where it is near the surface the 
chalk soon becomes a light yellow or pure white color. It contains 



16 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF SOUTH DAKOTA. [no. 34. 

fossils that characterize it elsewhere in the Missouri River Valley, 
including Ostrea congesta^ different species of Inoceramus^ some of them i 
of large size, but usually much broken; a large shell apparently a 
Pinna, and numerous scales and teeth of fishes, both of sharks and 
common bony fishes. Elsewhere the bones of large reptiles have been 
found in this formation, but as yet none have been found in it in this 
area. The chalk rarely shows noticeable shells of Foraminifera, but 
the mass of the deposit is found by microscopic examination to be com- 
posed of coccoliths and other minute organisms found in the chalk else- 
where. At some points the chalk is found to pass laterally into a light- 
gray clay, and it would seem that chalk and cla}^ might have been 
formed contemporaneously in neighboring parts of the sea bottom. 
The difficulty of determining the real thickness of the chalk in this 
region arises from the fact that well-borers do not readily distinguish 
between it and the overlying and underlying clays and shales. In no 
case has it been reported thicker than 100 feet except at Tripp, where 
it is stated to be nearly 300 feet thick. It is probable that it varies 
greatly in different localities, though in general it appears to thicken 
toward the southwest, like the other formations which we have con- 
sidered. It has not been so much removed by erosion in that direction. 

The Benton shale is not clearly exposed at any point in this area. 
From the study of it along the Missouri River it is found usually to be 
composed of a dark clay, easily absorbing water and quickly becom- 
ing very plastic. At a locality southwest of Mitchell it is excavated 
for making brick, and one quite striking feature is that the sides of 
the pit are constantly sliding in, and even in the adjoining prairie the 
slope is marked with crevasses or cracks, indicating its creeping nature. 
Similar features have been noted in sec. 33, T. 100 N., R. 59 W., on 
a slope above the Dakota sandstone and below the level of the chalk- 
stone. It is impossible to estimate the thickness of the formation 
with any accuracy, but there is clear evidence that the clayey member 
corresponding to the Benton is found here in considerable quantity. 
It is probably 50 feet thick. Elsewhere it has been reported in bor- 
ings as underlying the chalkstone and lying on the sandstones of the 
Dakota. 

Before the deposition of the Colorado formation the Dakota sand- 
stone seems to have been somewhat eroded, especially in the highest 
portions adjoining the quartzite. Possibly this was due to ' ' contempo- 
raneous erosion" rather than to true unconformity; that is, it was due 
to the action of tidal currents or waves cutting out channels without 
any exposure to the action of streams upon a land surface. Moreover, 
the Colorado overlaps considerably beyond the edge of the Dakota 
sandstone. 



US.GEOLOGICALSURVEY 




+ 210 (etc.) 
Representative wells and their depth in feet 
which obtain pump water at base of till 



MAP OF A PORTION OF E^, 

Shelving depths to wat^ 

BY J.E .TO 

ScJ 

5 5 I 



0'-50' 



50-100 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER N? 34 PL.V 




ASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA 

j'ers at base of the till 

i'DD 1899 

le 



IU5 BIEN 8 CO. LITH 



■^^ 



150-200' 



300'-350' 



TODD.] 



GENERAL GEOLOGY. 17 



PIERRE SHALE. 



Pierre shale follows next in succession to the Colorado formation, 
and is very thickly developed along the Missouri River above the 
Niobrara chalk. It undoubtedl}^ overlies that formation also in the 
Choteau Creek Hills, though it has not been distinctly recognized there 
in exposures or in wells. Upon Turkey Creek, on the east side of sec. 
11, T. 95 N., R. 51 W., a few feet of dark, plastic clay overlies the 
chalkstone, which doubtless is Pierre. Careful examination will 
probably reveal other similar exposures. It is a formation which often 
contains remains of marine reptiles and many cephalopod shells. The 
shales are quite calcareous and their fossils are frequently embedded 
in large concretions of limestone. 

TERTIARY DEPOSITS. 

The only natural exposures in the area under consideration which 
may possibly belong to the Tertiary are beds of a yellow loam resem- 
bling loess, which occur overlying the Cretaceous at several points on 
Turkey Creek, also southeast of the mouth of Wolf Creek. These 
are underneath the glacial drift and may possibly belong to the Plio- 
cene. Borings in the higher portions of Turkey Ridge and the Choteau 
Creek Hills reveal thick deposits of sand underneath the till. These 
also may belong to the Tertiary, and 'may be even as old as the Loup 
Fork. On the other hand, it is possible that they are accumulations 
preceding the deposition of the drift during the Pleistocene. No fos- 
sils have been discovered, so no conclusion can be confidently expressed 
as to their age. 

PLEISTOCENE DEPOSITS. 

In this region the Pleistocene deposits are very prominent and cover 
very nearly the entire surface. All the exposures of older rock do 
not occupy more than 4 or 5 square miles. The deposits of this epoch 
may be enumerated in chronological order, as follows: (1) The pre- 
glacial or circumglacial sands and gravels; (2) the glacial till or 
bowlder clay, separable into the upper or yellow bowlder clay and the 
lower or blue bowlder clay; (3) the moralises, which include those of 
two distinct epochs, with minor subdivisions; (1) terraces and ancient 
channels, which may be referred to three or four different stages of 
the glacial occupation of the country; (5) alluvium. 

PREGLACIAL OR CIRCUMGLACIAL DEPOSITS. 

The preglacial surface was probably covered with silt and clays 

resembling those of the region now found west of the Missouri. The 

surface there, however, is probably now eroding faster than at that 

time, for the base-level of drainage was probably much higher relatively 

IRR 34 2 



18 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF SOUTH DAKOTA. [no. 34. 

and of gentler grade. The hillside wash and alluvium was perhaps more 
marked than is now found in the trans-Missouri region, but as the ice 
sheet, which resembled that of Greenland at the present time, slowly 
advanced from the north there was spread before it almost everywhere 
a fringe or apron of torrential deposits. Heavy sand and gravel bars 
accumulated along the channels of the principal streams leading from 
the ice sheet. A less amount of similar deposit was accumulated in 
all water courses as their upper portions began to be supplied from 
the melting ice. Hence, most of the surface became covered with a 
nearly continuous but uneven layer of sand and gravel, and as the 
result of the process we find to-day nearly everywhere below the till, 
or blue clay, of this region a stratum of sand and gravel, containing 
in most cases abundant water. The finer portions of preglacial soil 
and surficial deposits of that time seem to have been washed away, 
leaving the sand clean and porous. This deposit of sand, which may 
be compared to a blanket, lies over the uneven surface of the Creta- 
ceous clays, mantling the upland as well as the lowland. It appears 
to be generally thicker upon the higher points, where its accumulation 
may have been due in part to the action of winds. It is needless, per- 
haps, to remark that the sands of this deposit, like the bowlder clay 
above, contain pebbles of granite, greenstone, and limestone. This 
deposit is rarely exposed, but there are a few places along the base of 
the bluffs of the James River where it appears. The more notable 
ones are about a mile below Milltown, and at intervals for 2 or 3 miles 
above the mouth of Wolf Creek. It may be recognized at other 
points by the appearance of springs near the level of the stratum. It 
appears, usually with less thickness, above the older rocks wherever 
they are exposed. There, however, it is less frequently the source of 
springs, because such points are more elevated, and because the bowl- 
der clay has crept down and covered it more often than where it has 
been more recently exposed by the action of the streams. Sometimes 
this deposit attains a thickness of 100 feet, but generally it is very 
much thinner. In some cases it may be entirely wanting, so that the 
well-borer passes from the bowlder clay into the Cretaceous beds 
without noticing the transition. This formation plays an important 
part in the water supply of the region and will be further described 
under that head. 

TILL OR BOWLDER CLAY. 

This formation presents the same features that are found in corre- 
sponding regions elsewhere, as in central Minnesota, Iowa, and Illi- 
nois. It is an unstratified mixture of clay, sand, and worn pebbles 
and bowlders, the last mentioned sometimes attaining a diameter of 
several feet. In this formation are found local developments of 
stratified sand, commonly spoken of as pockets, though they are 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 34 PL. VI 



Sec. 23 SW.,T. lOuN., 
R. 6(1 \V. 

I,:a5' A. T. 
Vellow till. 



■im 



'^^M 
^tf 



Sec. 33 S\V., T. 100 N. 
R. 59 W. 

1,280' A. T. 

Blue till. 



Skc. 27 SE., T. 100 N. 
R. 59 \V. 



:Li\ISPRING. 



Sec. 11 NW., T. 100 N., 
R. 5!i W. 



S:md and gravel. 
Chalk. 



355'. 

Red qiiartzite. 



Sec. 7 NAV., T. 100 N., R. 
58 W. 

1,315' A. T. 

Vellow till. 
Blue till. 




ft^205'. 

Sandstone. 
■23b'. 



Red quartzite. 
Pipestone. 
Red quartzite. 

i85'. 



Sec. 30 NE., T. 99 N. 
R. 60 W. 



T'fSt 



m 



1,405' A. T. 
Yellow till. 



Soft clay. 



230 . 
Chalk. 




MILLTOWN. 

£c. 35SW.,T. 100 N., 
R. 59 W. 
1,200' A. T. 



Blue till. 




Chalk. 


S3 


Hlueelay. 




Sand and grave 


• 8 


l,iMio' A. T. 




20 




20 



Sec. 10 SE., T. 100 N., 
R. 59 W. 
1,310' A. T. 
Yellow till. 
Blue till. 
Sandstone. 



55' ! AJ r» 



36 



Sec. 27 SE., T. 100 N. 
R. 56 W. 
,470' A. T. 



1,200' A. T. 
105'. 



r.f. r 



Sec. 34 SW., T. 1( 
R. 57 VV. 



1,3S0' A.T. 
Blue till. 



8' 


"1 


5' 
3' 
10' 






6' 





Yellow till. 
Sandstone, [till. 
Sand, gravel, and 
Chalk. 



1,200' A. T. 



Shale with py- 
rites. 



227'. 

Chalk. 

Shale. 

Sand and gravel 



160'. 
Chalk. 



Shale with py 
rites. 



327'. 
352'. 



Sec. 17NW., T. 99N. 
R. 53 W. 



1,360' A. T. 
Yellow till and 
sand and gravel. 
34'. 



1,200' A. T. 
Red quartzite. 



Sec. 31 SE., T. 99 N. 
R. 57 W. 



Sec. 15 NE.,T. 99 N., 
R. 53 W. 

1,800' A.T. 

Red quartzite. 



100' 



Sec. 19 NE., T. 98 N.. 
R. 57 W. 









mm 



1,200' A. T. 

Yellow till. 

43'. 

Sand and grave 

58'. 



1^52'. 

Sand and gravel. 





San<l and gravel. 



Sand and gravel. 
185'. 



Sec. 1 NW.,T.99 N., 
R. 53 W. 
1,390' A.T. 
Yellow til 



,200' A. T. 



FREEMAN. 

Sec. 35 NW., T. 99 N. 
R. 56 W. 

511' A.T. 

Yellow till. 



^ Red quartzite. 
'227'. 



Sec. 3 NW., T. 98 N., 
R. 57 AV. 



1,360' A.T. 
Yellow till. 



Blue clay. 
Reil quartzite ai 

pipestonc. 
Sand and grave 



4S5 





60'; /•I'- 


15'^ \'--l\' 


24 •^SS^ 






55' 





Blue till. 

Loam. 
Chalk. 
I Soft clay. 
Chalk. 





j'.T-r;t; 


185' 








30' 


-v^ 


,.. 





Sand and gravel. 
185'. 



Chalk. 
215'. 






Blue ti 



Sand andgravt 
Red quartzite. 



Blue till. 
1,200' A. T. 



Sandstone. 
Sand and gravel 
440'. 



5ec. 29 NW., T. 99 N. 
R. 54 W. 
1,490' A.T. 



Blue till. 

ISC'. 



180' 


v-r- f ({ 








-rV 










100' 


I 














1 











Chalk. 

280'. 
1,200' A. T. 



LOGS OF WELLS IN HUTCHINSON COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA. 



TODD.] GENERAL GEOLOGY. 19 

sometimes known to be portions of channels of considerable length, 
and also of sheets that may locall}^ separate the bowlder clay into two 
or more members. The till of this region is much more clayey than 
at points farther east because for some distance the ice had moved 
over and deeply eroded the dark-colored clays of the Cretaceous. 
For this reason the erratics are perhaps less frequently striated and 
planed. The bowlders most widely distributed are gray and reddish 
granites, and peculiarly compact and fine-grained limestones of a 
straw color or clear white. The latter contain Fmjosites and cup- 
corals, with occasional Brachiopods, indicating their Paleozoic origin. 
Next in prominence are bowlders of a fine-grained trap or green- 
stone. Besides these, in some portions of the area, a large percen- 
tage of the erratics, usually those of smaller size, came from a red 
quartzite ridge lying to the north. The distribution of these is so 
remarkable about Turkey Ridge as to attract popular attention. In 
the main part of this ridge they form about 90 per cent of all 
bowlders, but outside of or across the valleys of Clay and Turkey 
Ridge creeks they are very rare. The till varies in thickness from 80 
to 250 feet. In general it is thickest upon the higher elevations — as, 
for example, the Choteau Creek Hills and James Ridge. Near the 
exposures of the older rocks, which we may suppose to represent 
points that have resisted preglacial erosion so that they are relatively 
more elevated, a thickness of less than 50 feet is found, as in the 
vicinity of Scotland and Elmspring, but over the even surface 
between Parkston and Olivet it amounts to 125 or 150 feet. Between 
the Choteau Creek Hills and James Ridge the thickness is frequently 
300 feet. It is probable that the thickness is not very uniform and 
may vary greatly within short intervals. Apparently the surest 
evidence of reaching the bottom of the till is that the water when 
struck rises promptly and to a considerable height. This is a fact 
which well-borers remember and recognize more distinctly than any 
discrimination of material, for pebbles and bowlders are found in 
both the till and the sand below. It is not uncommon for two neigh- 
bors to sink wells, one having to go to a depth of 250 or 300 feet, 
while the other may .obtain water within 150 or 200 feet. This 
evidence is not always decisive, for there are sometimes within the till 
local developments of sand which yield abundant water. However, 
in many cases the wells have gone farther and demonstrated that in 
such ca^es, no till is found below the sand. 

It has been noted in other regions that the till consists of two or 
more numbers belonging to different epochs, and it would seem not 
improbable that such occurrences may be discovered in this area, but 
thus far we have been unable to ascertain that this is the case. This is 
the more remarkable when we consider the number of borings which 
have extended not only through the till, but to the Dakota sandstone 



20 GEOLOGY AND WATER EESOURCES OF SOUTH DAKOTA. [no. 34. 

below. However, since well-borers are not discriminating in this 
matter, more careful observations may eventually reveal the fact that 
such a division of the till really exists, at least in the vicinity of 
moraines. We may mention in this connection a singular phenome- 
non which occurs about 6 miles east of Wolf Creek colony. In the 
extreme northeastern corner of T. 98 N., R. 57 W., and in the sections 
adjoining, are three or four flowing wells obtaining water from a depth 
of from 55 to 65 feet, while li miles farther west no water is obtained 
until a depth of about 150 feet is reached, and then it has not sufficient 
head to flow. This would suggest a division of the till into two mem- 
bers, separated by a sand deposit which does not extend to the second 
locality mentioned above. This may prove to be a separation of the 
earlier and older deposit of till, and may extend farther east, and may be 
caused by the recession and readvance of the ice, corresponding to the 
interval between the Altamont and Gary moraines. Another explana- 
tion may be equally satisfactory, viz, that at one time there existed 
in the region of flowing wells a subglacial channel which deposited a 
sheet of sand, which would be strictly subglacial, upon the formation 
of till already laid down by the glaciers while the till above was of 
englacial origin and was deposited above the sand deposits of said 
stream during the final melting of the ice sheet. Similar suppositions 
may explain similar flowing wells both north and south of the area 
named and also east of Parkston. 

As elsewhere, the upper part of the till has, when weathered, a light 
buff or yellowish color. This is so prevalent that it is only at unusu- 
ally recent natural exposures, or in the digging of deep wells, that the 
blue character of the unweathered till appears. An impression pre- 
vails that it differs materially in character from the yellow till, since 
the yellow till contains water, often in considerable quantity, which 
supplies the shallow or surface wells of the country. It is a general 
rule that if sufficient water is not struck before the blue clay is reached, 
no more can be expected until that formation is completely pene- 
trated. The blue clay is frequently spoken of as joint clay, from the 
fact that it is usually divided into polygonal masses by irregular joints 
crossing one another. These allow slight motion whenever the forma- 
tion lies upon a slope, so that in the vicinity of streams, though less 
plastic than the Cretaceous clays, it is subject to landslides, which cause 
it to cover the underlying sands. 

The surface of the till, as elsewhere, abounds more or less in shal- 
low basins or lake beds, which may be filled with water in the wet 
season. In some localities these are so deep that they retain water 
several feet in depth year after year, but more frequently they are 
dried up by the advancing summer and are capable of tillage. Since 
none of them are supplied except by rainfall, even the deepest are apt 
to become empty after a succession of dry years. 



U, S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 



Sec. iSW..T. 98N.. 
R. 51 "\V. 

l.laO' A. T. 



[gravel. 
Sand and 
125'. 

Chalk. 
160'. 







125 














-V- 







Sec. 12KW.. T. 98 N. 
R. 5i W. 

1.380' A. T. 
Yellow till. 



Blue till. 

70'. 

Chalk. 



70' 


\ ° I ' .* 






:w 


— W- 




^r^r 







Sec. 90 NW., T. 99 N., 
R. 53 W. 
1,400' A. T. 
Yellow till. 



130' 



100' 






-^s^. 






5ec. 3 SE.. T. 97 N., 
R. 55 W. 
,020' A. T. 
Yellow till. 



[gravel. 
Sand and 
130', 

Chalk. 

1.200' A. T. 
Shaly saiid- 
225'. I stone. 
Red quartz- 
Ite. 



Sec. 27 SE., T. 98 N., 
R. 59 W. 

1,300' A. T. 
Yellow till. 
40'. 



Blue till. 
1,200' A. T. 



40' 


Wi 


100' 


'.' ° "o" 




t 1 




( 








( 






150' 

19' 


m 






48' 


ill 



Sec. 9 NE., T. 97 N., 
R. 55 W. 
1.700' A. T. 
Yellow till. 



Sec. 8 SW., T. 98 N. 
R. 52 W. 



1.270' A. T. 
Yellow till. 



Chalk. 
190'. 



f^^a Blue clay. 



Sandstone. 
352'. 

[gravel. 
Sand and 
400'. 



Sec. 35 NE., T. 98 N., 
R. 54 W. 

1.300' A. T. 
Yellow till. 
Sand and 
gravel. 



Chalk. 
1,200' A. T. 



■J; 



M'JtjY 



1,200' A. T. 
Blue till. 



126'. 

Sand and 
gravel. 



30' 




00' 













S ;\ n d and 
gi-avel 



'^'sS^ Blue clay. 



A. T. 



TRIPP. 

Sec. 17 NW.. T. 97 N., 
R. 60 W. 
1,556' A. T. 
Yellow till. 
25'. 



Sec. 18 NE., T. 97 N., 
R. 54 W. 
1.480' A. T. 
Yellow till. 



[gravel. 
Sand and 



20' 


}v:w'^'- 


20' 










■( 




1 1 




\ 


110' 


I 1 






1 1 




( 








I 


267' 
3' 


■ 

a 

■ 

ii 



Sec. 29NE., T.i 
R. 53 W. 



^^ Blue clay. 



Pyrites i n 
sandstone. 



uartzite. 

513'. 



35' 


■im 






















100' 






















265' 


M 



Yellow till. 
35'. 



^^^g Blue clay. 



25' 


m-ri 








ze:?3: 












1 ( 








1 1 
















1 1 








( ' ( 






300' 












































































-\-r^^ 




J— ^-i~ 
















— j— '.-^ 










100' 
4' 

200' 




1 

m 


35' 






70 







m'\'!\ 




i\.u% 




!;i?6 


174' 


: { { '■ 




y/r': 




'' \' 


24' 


I3±C 











174'. 
Chalk. 

198'. 



VODNANY. 

Sec. 13 SE., T. 96 N., 

R. 60 W. 

I,.. I,.. ' -.1 1.530' A. T. 

•I'.ir' f. Yellow till. 



1.200' A. T. 
Sandstone. 



Soft clay. 



5 Sandstone. 

29'. 



Blue clay. 



729'. 
Sandstone. 



a 11 d and 
gravel. 



210'. 

Chalk. 

Sandstone. 



Blue clay. 



73' 

88' 
4' 




8' 
10' 

43' 
10' 

187- 


^J=S 


1^ 

1 


42' 


mi 


28' 


^k^- 


19' 


^^^:^i^T^ 
















^:-^-^-m: 



21 NW., T. 98 N. 
R. 60 W. 



1,425' A. T. 
Yellow till. 



Lignite. 
Blue till. 



Sandstone. 
Blue shale. 
Chalk. 

Blue shale. 
1,200' A. T. 
Sand an il 
236'. [gravel. 



Blue clay. 



423'. 

Black shale. 

46.5'. 

Sandstone. 
Sand and 

gravel. 
Blue clay. 
Sandstone. 
555'. 



Sec. 8 NE., T. 96 N. 
R. 58W. 



y] 1.350' A. T. 



0: 



Yellow till. 
Blue till. 
J Blue clay. 



Chalk. 



Sandstone. 
1,200' A. T. 



Blue clay. 
195'. 



Gray shale. 



LOGS OF WELLS IN HUTCHINSON COUNTY AND IN NORTHEASTERN PORTION OF BONHOMME 

COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA. 



TODD.] GENERAL GEOLOGY. 21 



MORAINES. 

These are local developments of the till in the form of elevated 
ridges, usually with the surface rougher than elsewhere. In other 
words, the surface rises into abrupt ridges or knolls perhaps to the 
height of 25 or 30 feet, though we do not find the best examples of 
such topography in this area. The intervening depressions and basins 
are also more numerous than elsewhere. Moreover, the moraines 
usuall}^ present a larger number of bowlders and beds of gravel, and 
bear other marks of abundant and free-flowing water. They are gen- 
erall}^ looked upon as marking the line where the edge of the ice sheet 
remained stationary for a considerable length of time. While the ice 
gradually brought materials to that point, the process of melting pre- 
vented its farther advance, and as the ice melted the clay and gravel 
contained in it were dropped along its edge. With this explanation we 
can easily understand how some areas would be much more abundantly 
supplied with materials than others, because of differences in velocity 
and load of the ice and in its relation to the attending waters. We 
rarely find the edge of the ice sheet clearly marked for any great dis- 
tance by morainal deposits. The moraines are usually best developed 
at higher levels. Where the edge of the ice sheet rested in still water, 
whether in a lake or a sluggish stream, the material brought up by the 
ice would be widely distributed by the water and a comparatively level 
surface would be formed. Where the edge of the ice was washed by 
the stream for some distance, the material contributed by the ice would 
be carried away and hence not deposited as an accumulation. 

In the area under consideration we have portions of two systems 
of moraines, with minor subdivisions. These are believed to belong 
to the Wisconsin stage of the Glacial epoch, and are known as 
the first, or Altamont moraine, and the second, or Gary moraine. The 
first moraine includes the hills in the northeastern corner of the Parker 
quadrangle, and the main portions of Turkey Ridge and James Ridge, 
and the whole of the Choteau Creek Hills. The surface in all these 
areas is more elevated than the region within the moraine, and is 
usually marked with stony hills, with more numerous and deeper 
basins between. 

The second, or Gary moraine, is represented by the ridge beginning 
east of the West Fork of the Vermilion and forming the divide between 
it and the East Fork of the Vermilion. It passes south and southeast 
around the head of Turkey Ridge, then south along the east side of 
the same to the southern line of the area, where it turns west and 
skirts the eastern slope and around the northern end of James Ridge; 
thence, for several miles, it is imperfectly represented by the ridges 
near Lesterville and the gravelly hills at Scotland. These seem to mark 
the earlier stage of its deposition. North of Olivet it again appears 



22 GEOLOGY AND WATER EESOLTRCES OF SOUTH DAKOTA. [no. 34. 

more continuous, l)ut of subdued form, and extends northwest along 
the divide south of Twelvemile Creek to the northwest corner of the 
area. In general, this moraine is of lower elevation than the first, and 
has its knolls less prominent. Its highest portion is southeast of 
Freeman, where it attains an altitude of more than 1,600 feet. 

ANCIENT DRAINAGE SYSTEMS. 

Connected with these moraines are ancient systems of drainage, 
quite distinct at several points from those of the present time. We will 
not dwell upon them further than to call attention to some of the more 
notable cases. During the occupation of the first moraine the drain- 
age from between the lobes of ice occupying the Vermilion Valley 
and the James was by means of Turkey Creek and its branches. Simi- 
larly, upon James Ridge, between the James River lobe of ice and 
the one to the west, are imperfect traces of a similar system. During 
the occupation of the second moraine the drainage was largely down 
the present course of the West Fork of the Vermilion River, Turkey 
Ridge Creek, Clay Creek, and Beaver Creek, and at that time a lake of 
considerable extent occupied the Vermilion Valley, east of Hurley. A 
much more transient one also occupied the region west of the ice sheet 
northwest of Scotland, which, for a time, drained toward the south into 
the upper part of Beaver Creek, but soon found its outlet down the 
James River Valley. The latter stage of this lake seems to have per- 
sisted along the valley of Dry Creek, east of Parkston, until the 
formation of the later part of the Gary moraine. 

WATER SUPPIiY. 

Under this head are included the most important economic results of 
the study of the geology of this area. The subject of water supply 
is divided into surface waters and underground waters. Under the 
former are included lakes, springs, and streams, and under the latter 
are included the supplies which furnish shallow wells, artesian wells, 
and tubular or pump wells. 

SURFACE WATERS. 
LAKES. 

These receive their waters directly from the rainfall and endure 
according to the extent of their drainage basin, the depth of their 
reservoir, and the dryness of successive years. The rainfall of the 
region varies greatly during different seasons. Its average is about 
25 inches. After a succession of wet years, the lake beds over the 
whole region are filled with water, and in the spring also, if there 
has been much snow, the same is true. However, in the latler part 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 34 PL. VIII 



Skc. 5 KE., T. Uo N., K. 56 \V. 
1,340' A. T. 



100'. 
1.200' A. T. 



00' 






o° • " 












? 


79' 






w 


21' 


? 







Skc. 11 SAV., T. 95 N., 
K. 50 W. 
,;U0' A. T. 



Yellow till. 

IJhie till. 

JO'. 



Sand and gravel. 



Sand and gravel 



300'. 

Blue clay. 
305'. 



Sec. 22 SE., T. 96 N., R. 54 W. 
„ • . 11.500' A. T. 



150'. 
Chalk. 



Sec. 27 SE., T. 96 N., R. 55 W. 
1,425' A. T. 

Blue till. 

60'. 



90' 
100 


'M 






250' 


■:::'•?■■:•;: 




;vi •.-■(:■: 


10' 




150' 


? 


10' 





1.200' A. T. 
Sand and gravel 



l^laok shale. 
2J0'. 



Sand and gravel. 



Sandstone. 
Sand and gravel. 
470'. 



Sec. 1 SW.. T. 96 N. 
R. 56 W. 



U 1,380' A. T. 
Yellow till 

Blue till. 
1,200' A. T. 
200'. 
f'halk. 

J 280'. 



ss 1,200' A. T. 



I Blue clay. 
Sand and gravel. 



Blue clay. 



Blue clay. 



Sand and gravel. 
630'. 



Sec. 17 NW.. T. 95N. 
R. 52 W. 
1,200' A. T. 

Yellow till. 



; Blue till. 

187'. 

Blue clay. 

287'. 

Wj^¥ Gray shale. 



200 


m 




( 1 






80' 


1 ■( 






( ( 




i 










420 


ft 




• w j 



Sec. KNE.. T. 95 N.. 
K. 56 W. 



Sand and gravel 
Blue till. 







80' 


v°-^°i 


60 


:V>: 


14' 


^ 


26' 





140'. 
Blue clay. 

1,200' A. T. 



Sec. 1 NW.. T. 96 N.. 
R. 53 W. 



■W^;i 



Yellow til 
Blue till. 



Chalk. 
1.200' A. T. 



^3-J Blue clay. 



Sec. 29 NYY., T. 96 N. 
R. 54 W. 
1.615' A. T. 



Sand and gravel. -= i : 



187' 


I'm 


100' 


1 


183' 


1 




— 


37' 


III 



Sand and gravel. 
Blue clay. 
Sand and gravel. 

Blue clay. 

Sand and gravel. 

Blue clay. 



Sand and gravel. 
700'. 



Sec. 5 NE., T. 95 N., 
R. 53 W. 
1,420' A. T. 
o° J Yellow till. 

50'. 






Sand and gravel. 



130'. 
Chalk. 



15' .^^v«J^j Sand and gravel. 
1,200' A. T. 



Sec. 11, T. 95 N. 
R. 54 W. 



Sec. 20 NW., T. 95 N. 
R. 54 W. 
1,390' A. T. 
Yellow till. 
30'. 



Chalk. 
110'. 



170'. 

Sand and gravel 

507'. 



45' 
6' 


i 


6' 


-n 


75' 






1 








^r^ 







1,500' A. T. 
Yellow till. 



Sand and gravel. 
Black shale. 



Chalk. 
132'. 



Sec. 24 SE., T. 95 N. 
R. 53 W. 
1.260' A. T. 
Yellow till. 

Chalk. 
1.200' A. T. 



23' 


°'\\°.: 






37' 




<. \ 




- \ 



LOGS OF WELLS IN YANKTON AND CLAY COUNTIES, SOUTH DAKOTA. 



TODD.] LAKES AKD SPRINGS. ' 23 

of summer nearly all of them become dry. Some of the more im- 
portant are marked upon the map as regular lakes. Within the last 
twenty-five years some lakes have passed through a summer with 10 
or 15 feet of water, and a few years hiter have become dry enough 
for tillage. 

SPRINGS. 

Permanent springs are rarely found, but a few occur along the 
James River and its principal tributaries. They receive their waters 
from the various formations which are treated more fully under the 
head of underground waters. 

One class of springs which, perhaps, are not often recognized as 
such derive their waters frem the rainfall seeping through the upper 
part of the drift into the water courses. Since the water from them 
is contained in isolated basins or waterholes in the water courses, many 
may not recognize the fact that the water supplied comes from below 
the surface, but this is doubtless the fact. To the constant movement 
of the water, more fully described under the head of underground 
waters, is to be traced the purity of the water in the ponds and their 
freedom from stagnant properties. 

Other springs are derived from the gravel and clay deposits capping 
the ancient terraces or lining the old water courses of the Glacial 
epoch. As an example of this may be mentioned a spring in the 
southwest corner of sec. 34, T. 100 N., R. 59 W., which is supplied 
from the gravel deposits in an old channel of the James River about 
100 feet above the present stream. Another less copious spring appears 
on sec. 3 of the same township, where the same channel meets the 
deeper valley of Dry Creek. Another spring from these same deposits 
appears on or near sec. 15 of the township to the south. It is prob- 
able that careful examination would reveal several more of similar 
origin. 

Still other springs derive their waters from the sands below the 
bowlder clay. These fail to bring water to the surface except where 
it rests upon underlying clays, probably Cretaceous, although this 
can not always be easily demonstrated. Springs of this sort have 
been noted at the base of the bluffs on the right bank of the James 
River at a number of points between the mouth of Dry Creek and 
Wolf Creek. It is probable that a further search would discover 
many more. 

A few springs are known to come from joints or porous strata in the 
chalkstone. Such are found near Scotland and along Turkey Creek. 
Their waters are frequently unpalatable from impregnation with alum 
salts. 

Other springs seem to be supplied from the sandstone of the Dakota 
formation. Cases of this kind have been noted a mile or two south 



24 GEOLOGY AND WATER EESOURCES OF SOUTH DAKOTA. [no. 34. 

of Elmspring, where the water escapes from the base of the sand- 
stone as it rests upon the shaly clay below. Other springs which 
we believe are supplied from the same geological stratmn are found 
near Olivet. They are two in number, the smaller appearing 10 or 
12 rods southeast of the bridge crossing the James River east of 
Olivet; the other about a quarter of a mile farther north, within a few 
rods of the edge of the bottom adjoining the river. Both of these 
springs or ponds, as they may be called, are surrounded with bul- 
rushes and are of circular form. The water rises nearly to the level 
of the bottom land, which is 10 feet higher than the ordinary stage of 
the James River nearby. Since they are more than a half mile from 
the base of the bluffs on the east, and the water is higher than can be 
found at ordinary stages in the James River within 2 or 3 miles farther 
upstream, it seems clear that the supply is derived from a stratum of 
the Dakota sandstone, and that we have here, as it were, natural arte- 
sian wells. The large spring has a diameter of about 150 feet of open 
area besides that occupied b}^ bulrushes. Quite similar to the Olivet 
springs is the one 5 miles north of Mitchell, shown on PL IX, B. It 
differs only in having higher banks. PL X, A shows another type, 
escaping close to Sioux quarzite ledges on Enemy Creek, southeast of 
Mitchell. It is probable that similar leaks from the artesian stratum 
escape into the trough of the James River below the water, or at least 
below the surface. Some of the small marshes which are found upon 
the flood plain ma}^ be supplied from this source, although probably 
most are supplied from the waters escaping from the sand sheet below 
the till. 

STREAMS. 

The James River is the only stream in this area which may be 
depended upon to contain running water at all times. The lower 
portions of Wolf Creek, Twelvemile Creek, and Lonetree Creek are 
rarely entirely dry, but above the last mile or two of their course the 
water in the latter part of summer rarely flows upon the surface. 

UNDERGROUND WATERS. 

The most accessible underground waters are those flowing near the 
surface of the ground or seeping through the upper portion of the till 
toward a water course, where there are shallow accumulations of sand, 
which form conduits for it. It flows slowty through the lower portions 
of these sand accumulations and appears at intervals in waterholes along 
the upper portions of the more prominent streams. In these it rarely 
comes forth in sufficient strength to attract attention. Where the slope 
of the surface is toward an undrained basin, the water, flowing on yel- 
low till, contributes to the level of the water in an open lake until the 
water level sinks below the surface, as it soon does in the great majority 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATFR-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 




A. DAKOTA SANDSTONE ON FIRESTEEL CREEK, IN TOWNSHIP 104 NOR" 
RANGE 61 WEST. 




B. ARTESIAN SPRING, IN TOWNSHIP 104 NORTH, RANGE 60 WEST. 



TOPD] SOURCES OF UNDERGROUND WATER. 25 

of cases. It ma}^ then be drawn upon by shallow wells which for a 
number of years may be entirely adequate for the demands of neigh- 
boring farms, but in time of drought gradually become exhausted. 
Where the surfaces slope toward a water course, the water accumulates 
in larger supply, but it also flows away sooner. Shallow wells, there- 
fore, along the ancient water courses which were occupied by streams 
of considerable size during the presence of glaciers in the yicinit}^* afford 
some of the most copious wells in the region, some of them being quite 
shallow. These shallow wells were the main dependence of the farmers 
of the region in the early settlement of it. In 1881 and a few years 
subsequent, water was abundant in these surface wells, but after a series 
of dry years this supply became exhausted and farmers were forced to 
go deeper for their water supply. 

The next supply was that derived from the sand and gravel at the 
base of the drift. These are reached by penetrating the till, which 
is done by boring, often to 300 feet below the surface. This depth 
would be a serious disadvantage were it not in a measure compen- 
sated for by the rise of the water, so that in many such wells the 
water stands within 5 to 25 feet of the surface; some, in fact, became 
flowing wells. There are wells of this class in the area which have 
been flowing for over twenty years. The depth to these subtill 
waters is shown on PI. V. As we have elsewhere stated, the thick- 
ness of the till varies considerably within short distances. Hence, 
the depth indicated on the map sometimes may not be within 25 to 
50 feet of the point where water will be reached, although in the 
majority of cases it is believed that it will be much nearer. More- 
over, as will be readily understood, the subtill sand sheet is not every- 
where filled with water, especially in higher regions. Therefore the 
sand may be reached and passed through to the Cretaceous shale below 
without yielding water. This seems to have been true in some cases 
in the Choteau Creek Hills. On the other hand, flowing wells are 
frequently found at lower levels. Such areas, however, are of com- 
paratively slight extent, and the pressure head is not level, but slopes 
irregularly with the surface. This is doubtless due to the slow motion 
of the water below. The areas where flowing wells from this source 
have been obtained are indicated on PL II. Probably others may be 
found by boring, especially at intermediate altitudes remote from 
important streams. In some cases the erosion of the ravine or water- 
course is that which renders the flowing wells possible, because it 
decreases the altitude of the surface while the head remains constant. 
As we have already stated under General geology, cases are not infre- 
quent where deposits of sand and gravel are locally developed in the 
till itself. These frequently furnish a copious supply of water, and 
in such cases wells yield water without entirely penetrating the till. 
On the other hand, sands below the till are absent at some points. In 



26 GEOLOGY AND WATER EESOURCES OF SOUTH DAKOTA. [no. 34. 

such cases uo water is likely to be reached short of the main artesian 
supply. The deep wells supplied from this source are commonly 
known as tubular wells, though that term strictly indicates the con- 
struction of the pumps used. Hence, we may conveniently speak of 
the Pleistocene subtill sands as the " tubular- well supply." 

It seems evident that the original source of this supply is the rain- 
fall, the same as in the case of shallow wells, but it is a more constant 
supply, because the water enters it more gradually. It is more con- 
tinuous, and does not waste in evaporation as in shallow wells. It 
should not, however, be considered inexhaustible, because if a tubu- 
lar well is drawn upon too freely it may be expected to gradually fail, 
especially if it is in an elevated region. 

The way in which the water enters this stratum is not well under- 
stood. In general, the till seems to be so perfectly impervious that, 
especially at lower levels, it prevents the escape of the water below 
quite completely. We have before called attention to the joints in the 
clay, which, at certain times, especially in more abrupt portions of 
the surface, and after drought, are probably opened sufficiently to 
allow water to enter from the surface. Besides, it is not improbable 
that the bottom of the ancient channels may at some points cut through 
the till to the lower Pleistocene sands in such a way as to add materi- 
ally to this supply. 

WATER FROM THE OLDER STRATA. 

In case sands belonging to the Tertiary should be discovered in the 
region it is likely that they will be closely connected with the lower 
Pleistocene sands, and hence we need not discuss them separately. 
The chalkstone of the Colorado formation is porous and water bear- 
ing; in fact, springs are occasionally found flowing from it. We 
have already spoken of springs from it at Scotland. It exists in such 
detached masses, and wherever it affects wells is so closely underneath 
the drift that it need not be treated at any length separate from the 
tubular-well supply. 

It has been found convenient in some places to use chalk as a filter 
to keep out the sand from the bottom of the well. Moreover, there 
appears in some places, although not certainly in this area, a stratum 
of sandstone in the chalk which affords water more copiously and may 
sometimes have a relation similar to that of the Dakota sandstone 
underneath. 

MAIN ARTESIAN SUPPLY. 

Those who have studied the matter universally agree that the main 
artesian supply is from the sandstone and sand beds of the Dakota 
formation. This remarkable formation is the source of water in Texas 
and Colorado, as well as in this region. It owes its efficiency to four 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 34 




A. SHERRILL SPRING, ON LOWER ENEMY CREEK. 




B. KILBURN RUN, FED BY KILBURN WELL, NORTH OF MOUNT VERNON, 
SOUTH DAKOTA. 



TODD.] MAIN ARTESIAN SUPPLY. 27 

conditions: (1) Its great extent, underl3^ing most of the Great Plains 
from the Rocky Mountains to about the ninety -fifth meridian. (2) Its 
highlj^ elevated western border, located in the moist region of the 
mountains and crossed by numerous mountain streams. (3) The fact 
that it is extensively sealed on its eastern margin by the overlapping 
clays of the Colorado formation, and where that is not the case, by the 
till sheet of the Glacial epoch. (4) The excavation of wide areas, 
especially in Dakota, by older streams, so as to bring the land surface 
below the pressure height or ' ' head " generated by the elevated western 
border of the formation. From this source also are derived the copi- 
ous pumping supplies of water over wide areas, where the pressure is 
not sufficient to produce flowing wells. 

PL X, B gives a vivid impression of the possibilities of such wells. 
The flow is through a 3-inch pipe and from a depth of only 337 feet. 
The etream rivals the Firesteel nearby in the amount of flowing water. 
It is estimated to furnish over 1,000 gallons a minute. Most of the 
wells in the area are much smaller and are much more convenient for 
ordinary farm use, besides being more enduring. 

The Dakota deposits underlie nearly the entire area treated in this 
report, but from the relation of pressure to surface the true artesian 
area is limited approximately as represented upon the map (PL II). 

In boring wells the term "flow" is used by some persons to indicate 
that the water has sufficient pressure to rise some distance in the well, 
but it is more customary to limit the term to those cases in which 
there is sufficient force for the water to rise to or over the top of the 
well. From a comparison of the sections of different wells it appears 
that the sheets of sand are more or less separated by intercalated sheets 
of clay, the permeable sandy deposits extending out into thin, wing-like 
sheets. In this way there are in this area at least three horizons with 
well-marked flows. The first or uppermost of these probably corre- 
sponds to the stratum which is exposed above Milltown. This bed, of 
course, can not hold water under pressure sufficient to produce flowing 
w^Us in the vicinity of its exposure where the head is lost by leakage. 
The second flow is that which supplies most of the wells northeast of 
the town of Tripp. The third is that probably reached in the deep 
well at Tripp. Probably others occur still deeper in the southeast 
portion of the Olivet quadrangle. 

From a study of the sections of the wells it is evident that the suc- 
cessive flows rise somewhat toward the exposures of quartzite, but that 
the higher water-bearing strata considerably overlap those below. 
In other words, the lowest sandstone stratum of the Dakota does not 
extend as far northeast by several miles as those higher up. There 
has been no effort to express on the map the extent of the different 
water-bearing strata, but they may be inferred from the irregularities 
in the depths given. 



28 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOUKCES OF SOUTH DAKOTA. [no. 34. 



PRESSURE. 

From a superficial study of artesian wells it might be thought that 
the water, especially in particular artesian basins, has the same head 
or would everywhere rise to the same plane. Such, however, is far 
from the fact in the wells of South Dakota. In general, the pressure 
declines toward the margin of the water-bearing strata. This is readily 
explained, as noted above, in the shallow basins by supposing that the 
water is moving as a slow current toward leaks along the margin of 
the formation where it joins the older rocks or where fissures may con- 
nect it with the bottom of streams. Each flow, in general, shows this 
same decline in pressure toward the northeast. 

Moreover, from what we have said about the relation of the Dakota 
sandstone to the Sioux quartzite and Colorado clays, one can easily 
understand how the lower flows are found to have higher pressure. 
Their leakage is much less free. Upon the map (PL II) there are con- 
tours representing the altitude of " head," which in its downward slope 
east may be regarded as a "hydraulic gradient." From the nature 
of the case, it would be impossible to represent the pressure for each 
water-bearing stratum, and we have therefore taken the data from the 
more important wells; or, in other words, the lines of altitude of 
"head" may be taken as representing the relative pressure in the 
more available and accessible stratum. It is not unlikely that the 
sinking of wells 300 to 500 feet in depth, to the third or fourth flow, 
may show considerably increased pressures. It will be observed that 
the lines have a distinct curve toward the south and east. This may 
be ascribed, especially in the case of the 1,400-foot line, to the fact of 
locally increased leakage along the James River Valley, together with 
the general diminution of supply to the south and east in eastern South 
Dakota. 

The pressure in the wells of this area has not been very generally 
noted. Many of the wells are small and intended simply for farm 
supply, so that the pressure has not been an important consideration. 
At Tripp the pressure was 10 pounds and at Scotland perhaps 4 or 5 
pounds, soon after the wells were finished, but at present they barely 
flow. The wells southeast of Parkston are reported to have a pressure 
of 40 pounds, and at that place 55 pounds has been recorded recently. 

VARIATION OF PRESSURE. 

This brings us to a consideration of certain influences that affect 
pressure. Under this head we shall consider, briefly, a variety of 
influences that have been found to affect pressure, and will give others 
the cause of which has not been discovered. 

(1) Variation in adjacent wells. Places are not infrequent, although 
not notable in this area, where wells at nearly the same point have 



TODD.] PEESSURE. 29 

widely different pressure. In some cases it is evident that the wells 
are supplied from different sources or flows. This conceivably ma}^ be 
true, even when the water is from the same depth ; for, as before stated, 
the water-bearing strata branch, and do not alwa3^s extend upon the 
same level. More f requentl}^, however, these wide local variations are 
due to the pressure from the stronger flow expending itself along the 
outside of the pipe into an upper stratum of less pressure. 

(2) Variation in the same well at different depths. This need not be 
dwelt upon, for we have already explained how lower strata are more 
perfectly sealed on their eastward margin and therefore display higher 
pressure. 

(3) Variations in the same well because of wells in the vicinity. The 
distance to which the influence of the escape of water from a well 
extends may reasonably be supposed to be directly proportional to the 
amount of water discharged. We ma}^ conceive that the flow of the 
well produces a depression in the surface, or "head," so to speak, pro- 
portional to the amount of water discharged, somewhat as in the case 
of an opening in the bottom of a reservoir. If the flow is rapid the 
depression may be great, so that if the well is closed its pressure will 
be at first, perhaps, several pounds below the original pressure, but as 
the water flows in from adjacent areas the pressure in the well will 
gradually regain its former amount. So, if two wells are near each 
other, we can not expect that the closed pressure of one will approach 
very closely to the original figure if the other is left open. 

(4) Effect from varying barometer. As the pressure taken is with 
a gage affected by the pressure of the air, it follows that when the 
barometer is high the pressure of the fluid within will be correspond- 
ingly diminished. The influence is, of course, slight, and will be over- 
looked unless the pressure in the well is very weak. Under such 
circumstances, however, an increase of the pressure of the air may 
sometimes be suflScient to stop the flow and, conversely, a low barometer 
may increase the flow. 

(5) Periodic variations. In a number of the weaker wells there has 
not only been a decline of pressure, but from time to time an increase. 
This increase has been in some cases related to the time of year, the 
spring being sometimes marked by a stronger flow. This again varies 
according to years, and it is believed to be most satisfactorily explained 
by supposing that the water is obtained from the melting of snows or 
from streams subject to floods. 

(6) Effect of varying leakage in the vicinity. This has been observed 
in wells near the Missouri River. When the river is high the pressure 
in the wells increases. It is easily explained by supposing that there 
are points of leakage underneath the surface of the river, and that the 
increase of hydrostatic pressure from the stream checks the leakage to 
such an extent that it increases the pressure in adjacent wells. While 



30 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF SOUTH DAKOTA. [no. 34. 

this has not been noted in the area, it is not improbable that examples 
occur near the James River. This variation, of course, is slight, and 
would be unnoticed except in very weak wells. 

Upon the map (PL II) approximate depth to the surface of the Dakota 
sandstone is represented. As was stated in the discussion of that 
formation, this does not always directly mark the upper limits, but 
more definitely the level from which flowing wells may be obtained. 
In cases where water is not found at the depth indicated the boring 
may be hopefully carried through lower horizons to bed rock, the depth 
of which is shown on PL IV. In the southeastern corner of the area 
and along its western side the Dakota sandstone is thicker and probably 
carries more water-bearing strata. 

HINTS ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF WELLS. 

Although the practical application of the following hints belongs to 
the work of the well-borer, and may be discussed more efficiently from 
the standpoint of an engineer, yet they may be advantageously noted 
here in connection with the geological facts. 

(1) Since the pressure in the upper flows is less than in the lower by 
many pounds to the inch, it is very important that the communication 
between the lower flows and the higher should he entirely cut off. 
Otherwise the full pressure from the lower stratum will not be observed 
at the mouth of the well, but will expend itself by leaking into the 
strata below the surface. The desire of the well-digger to keep his 
pipe loose may tempt him to leave the bore too large — hence the danger 
we speak of. 

(2) It is very desirable that the larger pipe lining the bore be firmly 
fixed in the hard stratum above the water-bearing rock. This may be 
done in most localities, as a compact stone is found just above the 
porous sands which bring the water. Much depends upon this, for if 
a pipe be left loose, and the opening in the rock left incompletely 
stopped, water is likely to escape around the pipe and, if not checked, 
may eventually destroy the well. 

(3) A well should be sunk as rapidly as consistent with good work, 
especially after water has been reached. Otherwise, the great pres- 
sure of the water may cause it to erode an irregular opening and 
prevent the accomplishment of the two points already given. 

PERMANENCE OF ARTESIAN SUPPLY. 

All natural products are liable to exhaustion. With gold, coal, 
and other metallic products no general rules can be laid down by which 
we may foretell how soon the supply may fail. With water it is 
otherwise. As we have already said, multiplication of wells must 
tend to exhaustion. If, however, the loss by wells and leakage does 



TODD] PERMANENCE OF SUPPLY. 31 

not exceed the annual supply which enters the formation on the west, 
an equilibrium may be gained which will be as constant as in a river. 
It ma}^ be expected to have similar fluctuations. At present the pres- 
sure in wells in the area discussed is generally slightly declining. 
Some wells of original low pressure have ceased to flow, as at Scot- 
land, Tripp, in sec. 12, T. 95 N., R. 56 W., and in other places, but 
the great majority have failed but little. There is no apprehension 
of early failure. 

From the sheet-like form of the water strata and their nearly hori- 
zontal position, the decline of pressure will necessarily be very regu- 
lar and gradual. If, to illustrate, a well having a pressure of 50 
pounds should show a decline of 2 pounds a year, under similar condi- 
tions it would last twenty -five years with gradually decreasing flow. 
Moreover, it is possible, if not probable, from the wide extent of the 
Dakota sandstone at high altitudes toward the west, that there is a 
reserve supply which may become more available as the head declines. 

Many of the reported cases of failure from other portions of the 
artesian area have been shown to be due to stoppage by sand or to sub- 
terranean leakage resulting from the rusting of the pipe or imperfect 
construction, and sometimes from the breaking of the pipe by caving. 

Until more is known of the circumstances controlling the supply 
little more can be said upon this point. 



INDEX 



Algonkian rocks, exposxires and extent of. 12 
Altamont moraine, course and topogra- 
phy of 21 

Area discussed, location and topography of. 11 

Artesian supply, permanence of 30-31 

Artesian water, map showing depths to, 

Pocket. 

source of 26-27 

Bed rock, map showing depth to 14 

Benton shales, character and occurrence of. 16 

Bonhomme County, logs of wells in 20 

Bowlder clay, extent and character of 18-20 

Chalkstone, spring having source in 23 

Choteau Creek Hills, sand deposits in 17 

source of water in 25 

thickness of till between James Ridge 

and 19 

Clay County, logs of wells in 22 

Clay, bowlder, extent, thickness, and char- 
acter of 18-20 

Colorado formation, occurrence and char- 
acter of 15-16 

Cretaceous rocks, occurrence and character 

of 13-17 

Dakota formation, cause of presence of 

water in 26-27 

erosion of 16 

springs originating in 23-24 

Dakota sandstone, occurrence, thickness, 

and character of 13-14 

plate showing exposure of 24 

Dolton, log of well at 18 

Drainage systems, ancient, consideration of 22 

Dry Creek, spring near 23 

Elmspring, log of well at 18 

sections at and near 14 

springs near 24 

thickness of till near 19 

Enemy Creek, spring near 24 

Favosites, occurrence of 19 

Firesteel Creek, plate showing Dakota sand- 
stone on 24 

Freeman, altitude of moraine near 22 

log of well at 18 

Gary moraine, course and topography of .. 21-22 
Glacial deposits, extent and character of .. 18 
Gravel . springs derived from deposits of . . . 23 

Hayden, F. V., formation named by 13 

reference to 15 

IRR 34 3 



Page. 

Hutchinson County, logs of wells in 18,20 

Inoceramus, occurrence of 16 

James Ridge, thickness of till between Cho- 
teau Creek Hills and 19 

James River, Dakota sandstone on 13, 14 

springs along 23 

Kilburn Run, plate showing view of 26 

Lakes, depth and character of 22-23 

Lower Enemy Creek, plate showing view of 

spring on 26 

Marion, log of well at 18 

Milltown, Dakota sandstone near 13, 14 

glacial deposits near 18 

log of well at 18 

use of Colorado formation at 15 

Missouri River, Benton shale along 16 

Mitchell, spring near 24 

uses of Benton shale near IG 

Moraines, extent and character of 21-22 

Mount Vernon, plate showing run fed by 

spring near 26 

Newell, F. H., letter of transmittal by 9 

Olivet, springs near 24 

Ostrea congesta, occurrence of 16 

Paleozoic history of region 12-13 

Paleozoic sea, shore line of 13 

Parker, log of well at 18 

Sioux quartzite near 12 

Parkston, pressure in wells at 28 

Pierre shale, occurrence and character of. . 17 

Pinna, occurrence of 16 

Pipestone, Minn. , fossils found near 12 

Pleistocene deposits, extent and character 

of 17-22 

Pressure in wells, consideration of 28-30 

conditions governing variations in 28-30 

Quartzite, occurrence and extent of 12 

Sandstone. See Dakota sandstone. 

Scotland, log of well at 20 

pressure in wells at 28 

thickness of till near 19 

use of Colorado formation at 15 

Sherrill Spring, plate showing view of 26 

Sioux quartzite, exposures and extent of. . . 12 

Springs, plates showing 24, 26 

source and character of 23-24 

Streams, character of 24 

Surface waters, consideration of 22-24 

Tertiary deposits, occurrence of 17 

33 



34 



INDEX. 



Page. 
Till, extent and character of 18-20 

map showing depths to waters at base of 16 
Tripp, log of well at 20 

pressure in wells at 28 

Turkey Creek, Pierre shale or 17 

Tertiary deposits on 17 

Turkey Ridge, bowlders on 19 

sand deposits on 17 

Twelvemile Creek, Dakota sandstc ne on . . . 13, 14 

Vodnany, logof well at 20 

Waters, surface, consideration of 22-24 



Pase. 

Waters, underground, consideration of 24-31 

Wells, hints on construction of 30 

logs of 18, 20, 22 

pressure in 28-30 

Wells, artesian, source of 26-27 

Winchell, N. H., cited on fossils in Sioux 

quartzite 12 

White, C. A., formation named by 12 

Wolf Creek, glacial deposits on 18 

Wolf Creek colony, thickness of till near. . . 20 
Yankton County, logs of wells in 22 



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1895. 

Sixteenth Annual Keport of tlie United States Geological Survey, 1894-95, Part II, 
Papers of an economic character, 1895 ; octavo, 598 pp. 

Contains a papor on the public lands and their water supply, by F. H. Ifewcll, illustrated by 
a large map showing the relative extent and location of the vacant public lands ; also a report 
on the water resources of a portion of the Great Plains, by Robert Hay. 

A geological reconnoissauce of northwestern Wyoming, by George H. Eldridge, 1894; 
octavo, 72 pp. Bulletin No. 119 of the United States Geological Survey; price, 
10 cents. 

Contains a description of tlie geologic structure of portions of the Bighorn Range and Big- 
horn Basin, especially with reference to the coal fields, and remarks upon the water supply and 
agriculttiral possibilities. 

Report of progress of the division of hydrography for the calendar years 1893 and 1894, 
by F. H. Newell, 1895; octavo, 176 pp. Bulletin No. 131 of the United States 
Geological Survey ; price, 15 cents. 

Contains results of stream measiu'ements at various points, mainly within the arid region, 
and records of wells in a number of counties in western Nebraska, western Kansas, and eastern 
Colorado. 

1S«>6. 

Seventeenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey, 1895-96, Part II, 
Economic geology and hydrography, 1896; octavo, 864 pp. 

Contains papers on "The underground water of the Arkansas Valley in eastern Colorado," 
by G. K. Gilbert; "The water resources of Illinois," by Frank Leverett; and "Preliminary 
report on the artesian waters of a portion of the Dakotas," by N. H, Darton. 

Artesian-well prospects in the Atlantic Coastal Plain region, by N. H. Darton, 1896; 
octavo, 230 pp., 19 plates. Bulletin No. 138 of the United States Geological 
Survey; price, 20 cents. 

Gives a description of the geologic conditions of the coastal region from Long Island, N. Y., 
to Georgia, and contains data relating to many of the deep wells. 

Report of progress of the division of hydrography for the calendar year 1895, by F. 
H. Newell, hydrographer in charge, 1896; octavo, 356 pp. Bulletin No. 140 of 
the United States Geological Survey; price, 25 cents. 

Contains a description of the instruments and methods employed in measuring streams and 
the results of hydrographic investigations in various parts of the United States. 

1897. 

Eighteenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey, 1896-97, Part IV, 
Hydrography, 1897; octavo, 756 pp. 

Contains a "Report of progress of stream measurements for the calendar year 1896," by 
Arthur P. Davis ; "The water resources of Indiana and Ohio," by Frank Leverett; "l^ew devel- 
opments in well boring and irrigation in South Dakota," by N.il, Darton; and "Reservoirs 
for irrigation," by J. D. Schuyler. 

1S99. 

Nineteenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey, 1897-98, Part IV, 
Hydrography, 1899; octavo, 814 pp. 

Contains a "Report of progress of stream measurements for the calendar year 1898," by F. H. 
Newell and others ; " The rock waters of Ohio, " by Edward Orton; and " A preliminary report 
on the geology and water resources of Nebraska west of the one hundred and third meridian," 
by N. H. Darton. 

1900. 

Twentieth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey, 1898-99, Part IV, 
Hydrography, 1900; octavo, 660 pp. 

Contains a "Report of progress of stream measurements for the calendar year 1898," by F. H. 
Newell, and. "Hydrography of Nicaragua," by A. P. Davis. 

Watkr-Supply and Irrigation Papers, 1896-1900. 

This series of papers is designed to present in pamphlet form the results of stream measure- 
ments and of special investigations. A list of these, with other information, is given on the 
outside (or fourth) page of this cover. 

Survey bulletins can be obtained only by prepayment of cost, as noted above. 
Money should be transmitted by postal money order or express order, made payable 
to the Director of the United States Geological Survey. Postage stamps," checks, 
and drafts can not be accepted. Correspondence relating to the publications of 
the Survey should be addressed to The Director, United States Geological Survey, 
Washington, D. C. 

IRR34 



WATER-SUPPLY AISTI) IRRIGATION PAPERS. 

1. Pumping water for irrigation, by Herbert M. Wilson, 1896. 

2. Irrigation near Phoenix, Arizona, by Arthur P. Davis, 1897. 

3. Sewage irrigation, by George W. Eafter, 1897. 

4. A reconnoissance in southeastern Washington, by Israel C. Russell, 1897. 

5. Irrigation practice on the Great Plains, by E. B. Cowgill, 1897. 

6. Underground waters of southwestern Kansas, by Erasmus Haworth, 1897. 

7. Seepage waters of northern Utah, by Samuel Fortier, 1897. 

8. Windmills for irrigation, by E. C. Murphy, 1897. 

9. Irrigation near Greeley, Colorado, by David Boyd, 1897. 

10. Irrigation in Mesilla Valley, New Mexico, by F. C. Barker, 1898. 

11. River heights for 1896, by Arthur P. Davis, 1897. 

12. Underground waters of southeastern Nebraska, by N. H. Darton, 1898. 

13. Irrigation systems in Texas, by William Ferguson Hutson, 1898. 

14. New tests of pumps and water lifts used in irrigation, by O. P. Hood, 1898. 

15. Operations at river stations, 1897, Part I, 1898. 

16. Operations at river stations, 1897, Part II, 1898. 

17. Irrigation near Bakersfield, California, by C. E. Grunsky, 1898. 

18. Irrigation near Fresno, California, by C. E. Grunsky, 1898. 

19. Irrigation near Merced, California, by C. E. Grunsky, 1899. 

20. Experiments with windmills, by Thomas O. Perry, 1899. 

21. Wells of northern Indiana, by Frank Leverett, 1899. 

22. Sewage irrigation. Part II, by George W. Rafter, 1899. 

23. Water-right problems in the Bighorn Mountains, by Elwood Mead, 1899. 

24. Water resources of the State of New York, Part I, by George W. Rafter, 1899. 

25. Water resources of the State of New York, Part II, by George W. Rafter, 1899. 

26. Wells of southern Indiana (continuation of No. 21), by Frank Leverett, 1899. 

27. Operations at river stations, 1898, Part I, 1899. 

28. Operations at river stations, 1898, Part II, 1899. 

29. Wells and windmills in Nebraska, by Erwin Hinckley Barbour, 1899. 

30. Water resources of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, by Alfred C. Lane, 1899. 

31. Lower Michigan mineral waters, by Alfred C. Lane, 1899. 

32. Water resources of Puerto Rico, by H. M. Wilson, 1900. 

33. Storage of water on Gila River, Arizona, by J. B. Lippincott, 1900. 

34. Geology and water resources of southeastern S. Dak., by J. E. Todd, 1900. 

In addition to the above, there are in various stages of preparation other papers 
relating to the measurement of streams, the storage of water, the amount avail- 
able from underground sources, the efficiency of windmills, the cost of pumping, and 
other details relating to the methods of utilizing the water resources of the country. 
Provision has been made for printing these by the following clause in the sundry 
civil act making appropriations for the year 1896-97: 

Provided, That hereafter the reports of the Geological Survey in relation to the 
gaging of streams and to the methods of utilizing the water resources may be 
printed in octavo form, not to exceed 100 pages in length and 5,000 copies in num- 
ber; 1,000 copies of which shall be for the official use of the Geological Survey, 
1,500 copies shall be delivered to the Senate, and 2,500 copies shall be delivered to 
the House of Representatives, for distribution. [Approved June 11, 1896; Stat. L., 
vol. 29, p. 453.] 

The maximum number of copies available for the use of the Geological Survey 
is 1,000. This number falls far short of the demand, so that it is impossible to 
supply all requests. Attempts are made to send these pamphlets to persons who 
have rendered assistance in their preparation through replies to schedules or who 
have furnished data. Requests specifying a certain paper and stating a reason for 
asking for it are granted whenever practicable, but it is impossible to comply with 
general requests, such as to have all of the series sent indiscriminately. 
Application for these papers should be made either to Members of Congress or to 
The Director, 

United States Geological Survey, 
IRR 34 Washington, D. C. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS \ 



019 953 849 4 



